Posts Tagged With: disney resort

I have written about Aulani before – it’s Disney’s Resort and Spa located in beautifully tropical Hawaii, and it is a place I would LOVE to go with my husband – and we are hoping to make it there for our 10 year wedding anniversary (which gives us 6 years to save up and plan for it!)

If you’re considering going, then I think you’re making a SUPER smart choice – beautiful views, clear water, plenty of activities for everyone of all ages, and then there’s the FOOD – you won’t want to miss all that they have to offer in that department either…

Off The Hook is an open air lounge that’s located right on the beach, and they serve up plenty of tropical drinks, as well as an assortment of fresh appetizers like shrimp cocktail and beef sliders

If you’re a fan of buffet dining, then you’ll want to check out Makahiki-The Bounty Of The Islands – where you can join your favorite Disney characters for breakfast, and enjoy a peaceful delicious dinner of seafood and asian inspired entrees

If you’re looking for more of a gourmet experience, then Ama Ama is the place for you – contemporary Hawaiian dishes are served up here (with an oceanside view of course!) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner – oh, and they make all their own desserts fresh in-house daily

Or let’s say you are in a hurry or just looking for a quick snack to tide you over – then might I recommend you check out some of the Aulani Quick Service Dining Options – which include traditional Hawaiian shaved ice, hot dogs/chicken tenders, salads, pretzels and more!

Aulani has it all – a full service spa, amazing rooms and service, plenty of activities to keep you and your family busy and happy, amazing ocean views, and some pretty awesome FOOD too! Hope you get a chance to visit this amazing vacation spot someday and that you get to indulge in all the amazing cuisine they have to offer!

Disney World is known for their attention to detail (among other things!) – and they are so intricate in their theming and decorating that they even have Hidden Mickey’s throughout the Parks – it could be his silhouette, or the three circles of his head – but they are all over – if you know where to look…

This one is located at Animal Kingdom – outside the entrance to the Mombasa Marketplace Store in Africa

This one is part of a dalmation statue that sits just inside the entrance to Mama Melrose’s Restaurant in Hollywood Studios

The front courtyard of Hollywood Studios’ Rock N Roller Coaster is home to this Aerosmith mural – featuring a familiarly patterned shirt…

Inside the lobby of Disney’s beautiful Wilderness Lodge Resort you’ll spot this Mickey on the upper right corner of the fireplace

There’s a whole book to help you look for them! Have you spotted some Hidden Mickeys while at WDW? Or at home maybe? Which one is YOUR favorite?

It’s easy to get caught up all that Disney Magic while you’re on vacation at Walt Disney World – so easy in fact that you might get so busy that you forget to eat, or put on sunblock, or sit down and relax, or drink enough water…basically, Disney is distracting. Mostly in good ways, but you’ll want to remember to take care of yourself too while touring the Parks – so I suggest you KNOW YOUR LIMITS:

-Food: This is an especially important one for me, with two diabetic parents, we have to keep on a pretty strict eating schedule – making sure we eat meals around the same times each day, and carrying snacks for those in between times helps too. Make sure you are listening to your stomach – and when it rumbles, feed it ASAP!

-Drinking: This applies to both alcohol and water – make sure you don’t drink too much alcohol (especially during the day!), and make sure to replenish very frequently with water (bring your own water bottles and refill them often!)

-Downtime: Disney has a tendency to make us rush – we want to see it all, and do it all, and we want it all NOW! Well – ok. I get it, I have been there, but guess what – its not possible. You just aren’t going to get to see every single little thing in one day – so stop trying. Take it slow, enjoy the scenery, and when you’re feeling tired – sit down and relax for a bit, or better yet – return to your Disney Resort for a nap or a quick dip in the pool after lunch (when it’s hottest out and the likelyhood of meltdowns and tantrums are highest!)

The urge to rush and run and do it all will definitely happen to you at some point during your WDW vacation – but try and fight it as best you can – make sure you know your limits, and stick to them. If you do, your vacation will be much happier and more fun for everyone!

My family and I were lucky enough to get to travel to Walt Disney World last month for Christmas, and even luckier still to get to stay in the NEWEST Disney Resort – The Art of Animation Resort. Let me tell you, this place did NOT disappoint, the Little Mermaid/Finding Nemo/Lion King/Cars themes were awesome, the service was great as usual, and probably the best thing about the Resort is its Landscape of Flavors Food Court – which offers up tons of great and unique menu options. Here’s a rundown of what you can expect to find here:

Desserts: There’s a bakery case that was offering some delicious seasonal options while we were there – sugar free cranberry apple pie, Pecan pumpkin tart, Gingerbread cookies, and then there were also cupcakes and other cookies, and then there’s the gelato station – serving up tons of great flavors (including seasonal ones like peppermint and pumpkin!). Or you can go a bit healthier and have a fruit smoothie whipped up just the way you like it (strawberry/banana/mango comes to mind? Yum!)

Drinks: They offer the standard Coca Cola soda machines (which offer Sprite Zero in addition to Diet Coke and light lemonade, which I was glad to see!), as well as plenty of bottled choices: waters, Gatorade/Vitamin water, smoothies, juices, and a decent selection of beer and wine too (available by the single serving, or full size bottles/six packs are available too!)

Our personal favorites from the Landscape of Flavors? It’s REALLY a tough call, but for me personally it had to be the Pumpkin Pecan Tart (which I got multiple times!) and I know my parents really loved the Cranberry Apple Pie, and my husband loved the Mongolian Sausage plate – which was delicious sausage served with rice, two sides, and fresh naan bread

We will definitely be staying here again, partly (ok, largely!) due to how amazing the food was!I would highly recommend the Resort (and its food!) to anyone and everyone!

Some Disney News for you all: Disney had been planning to fully roll out its new Magic Band program to all WDW Resorts this year – but it looks like this has changed, and has been delayed. It will likely be several months before the program is fully operative for all guests, according to Disney sources.

The Magic Band program is essentially an RFID bracelet that acts as your Resort room key and room charge account, and it also stores your reservation, Fastpass, and Disney ticket information for a more seamless guest experience. It sounds like a great idea, and I know it has been several years in the making for Disney, as a LOT of work and updates are needed to make this functional

Personally, I hope this doesn’t affect my chance to try out the Magic Bands – I already picked out the color (PINK!) and the My Disney Experience website asked me for my shipping address – so I will keep my fingers crossed that mine will arrive soon and I can have the chance to participate in the testing process for this new system

Check out more info here, and stay tuned – I will post more info as it becomes available!

There is a TON of great Disney merchandise out there, and when you travel to the Disney Parks there are plenty of choices to pick from in the souvenir department – they have it all, from magnets and pens to pins, stuffed animals, apparel, and much much more. I love purchasing these items to commemorate the amazing memories from my Walt Disney World trips, but I have to say, my absolute favorite souvenir isn’t something you can purchase in a store – it’s the photos from the tripthat I cherish most of all – I love capturing the smiles, laughs, and good times had as a family!

Here are my Top 5 “Must Have” Posed Photos

Castle Shots – I will always get the Disney PhotoPass Card so that we can go to various “photo op” spots around the Parks and have the pros take our pictures – and the best part is, they are usually willing to take a photo with your camera too, so that even if you decide you don’t want to purchase the PhotoPass package, you can have a copy of the shots they take. My favorite place to pose is in front of Cinderella’s Castle – its classic, makes a great framed photo, and it’s beautiful at night too!

Character Love – Any picture taken with characters is fun, but one with a hug or a kiss or a funny pose from a character is even better! They will usually ham it up for the camera if you’re wearing a celebration pin, or if you have a shirt that has them on it or something – and those moments are priceless!

Funny Hats – Most Souvenir shops have a selection of hats, and you’ll find your standard baseball caps and Mickey Ears here, but you will also find some more quirky options – like the Mickey and Minnie bride and groom ears, as well as this adorable Sorcerer’s Apprentice option! I love trying on the hats and getting pictures of us sporting the different styles!

Food Pics – I am a HUGE Disney Foodie – I love the variety and quality of all their food, and I love remembering my trips via the meals I eat (Strange? Maybe. Delicious? Definitely!) It’s great to get photos of you and your party trying new and exotic cuisine, and it’s also fun to get classic Disney food photos too – like this one of my dad and husband enjoying a Mickey Ice Cream Bar on a hot day

Resort Fun – There is a LOT to see and do around all the various Disney Resort Hotels, and I love taking an afternoon to explore and stroll around my Resort – you never know what you might find, or what photo ops are just around the corner from your room!

While in the Parks, I will usually pick up a few small “photo related” souvenirs – like magnet photo frames, or sometimes a larger frame or album, and then once I am home, I love to spend time going through the photos, and choosing which prints to order, and then which ones to frame and hang around the house. It’s a great way to combat those “post vacation blues”, and it always helps remind me of why I love Walt Disney World so much!